Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Dietrich was a coveted middle infielder as a high school, but the Astros failed to pony up for him when they took him in the third round in 2007. He continued to Georgia Tech, where he had his best season as a junior, leading to the Rays grabbing him with the second round pick they got as compensation for not signing Kenny Diekroeger.

Dietrich has some good tools at the plate, starting with his above-average power. He posted double-digit home run totals all three seasons with the Yellow Jackets, including 17 as a junior. He isn't a plus pure hitter, and tries too often to pull the ball, but he has the potential to develop that tool into an average one. His plate patience is also only okay, and his swing is prone to some strikeouts, evidenced by a platinum sombrero (five strikeouts) on August 30th with Hudson Valley.

In the field, Dietrich is somewhat of a tweener. His defensive actions at shortstop are good, and his arm is plenty strong for the position, but doesn't have the overall athleticism to stick there. Third base seems like the logical place for him to go, but with that position taken at the major-league level, the Rays will probably try to develop him as a middle infielder, albeit a second baseman. He's the exception rather than the rule, of course, but check out this scouting report from 2000:

(Player X), a .394-18-61 hitter, has similar hitting skills, though his tendency to be pull-conscious has resulted in teams effectively using a Ted Williams shift on him a number of times this spring. He has excellent hands to hit, enabling him to wait on balls until the last moment to make adjustments. Like Kennedy, (Player X) lacks a true position. He was drafted in the second round out of high school as a shortstop, but he lacks the range, hands and ability to read hops to be a true middle infielder--even as he switched to second base.

That sounds a lot like Dietrich, doesn't it? Dietrich doesn't have quite that type of hitting acumen, but the rest of the report checks out. Player X, by the way, is Chase Utley. It would, of course, be ridiculous to expect Dietrich to become Chase Utley, but being a labeled a "tweener" isn't the death sentence it might sound like.

Dietrich could continue to play shortstop in 2011 as there's no obvious candidate to man the position at Bowling Green. If the Rays are aggressive with Hector Guevara and skip him to BG, then second base would be occupied and Dietrich would be somewhere on the left side of the diamond.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

The top Rays draft pick from 2009 to sign, Glaesmann received a $930,000 bonus to headline an '09 high school hitting crop that included Luke Bailey and Jeff Malm. The infusion of bats into the system was welcome, but the returns so far have been anything but promising.

Glaesmann was assigned to Princeton where he hit a meager .233/.297/.398 in 62 games, primarily as a centerfielder. The poor showing tempered some enthusiasm, but there's still a lot to like. He's big, at 6-4/220, and arguably has the best power potential in the system among those who have played (in other words, the non-Josh Sale division). He showed his massive power tool off on July 22, when he hit two home runs and a triple. He added another homer the next day. Unfortunately, he hit just one more all season.

Despite his size, he's among the more athletic in the system. He stole 13 bases for the P-Rays, and while he won't become a big stolen base threat, nor will he remain in center field, he should remain an asset both on the basepaths in the field. Right field, more specifically, where he can show his plus arm.

Glaesmann's approach clearly needs work. He struck out 70 times in 2010 while drawing only 13 walks. His high strikeout total represents not just his tendency to chase pitches, but also his lack of consistent contact within the zone. Becoming more selective would allow him to better get his bat on the ball, which will be important for making his power tool usable. After all, if his power turns into a plus tool but he's not making enough contact, well, then he's Joel Guzman.

Glaesmann has a considerably high ceiling but also a low floor. He'll need to start making the necessary adjustments in 2011, and despite the struggles in Princeton, he could get a full season's worth of at bats in Bowling Green to make it happen. If not, he'll stay back in extended spring training and get the bump to Hudson Valley in the summer.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Guevara ranked 10th on this list a season ago, and after raking in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2009 seemed poised to break out in the states in 2010. The Rays rather aggressively started him out in Princeton, where he played the season as an 18-year-old.

His .251/.308/.363 line didn't quite live up to expectations, especially when compared to his .330/.374/.534 effort in the VSL. But there were some positives to be found. Like Cesar Perez, his low strikeout rate -- just 31 times in 64 games -- indicates he wasn't overmatched. He struggled against righties but crushed lefties, hitting .329/.390/.571 in 70 at bats against them. He was also a little more athletic than advertised, swiping 9 bases while being caught twice (though he's by no means a burner: he grounded into a lot of double plays). He switched from SS in Venezuela to 2B in the States, where his actions and footwork are at least average.

Don't let the smallish frame fool you, though, because Guevara's quite capable of hitting for power. He may not project as a huge home run hitter, but he makes hard contact consistently and should hit for a good number of extra-base hits. He's athletic enough to play up the middle at 2B, though he'll need to keep his body in good condition as a move to 3B would hurt his value. He'll probably never put more up than average walk numbers, but he off-sets that by not striking out often and has the contact skills to be a .300 or better hitter.

Depending on how aggressive they wish to be, Guevara could get a promotion past Hudson Valley and into full-season ball. If that's the case, I'd expect a bit of an adjustment period before he settles in and starts showing off his skills -- as he did in 2010 (he hit .295 in August and .342 in his final 10 games for Princeton).

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Back in May I wrote an article showing how the Rays fare compared to the rest of the AL East in terms of social media. Today I noticed an article by Jason Collette over at the great Rays site Dock of the Rays detailing the growth of the Rays in the area of social media. Reading Jason's piece prompted me to post an update of my earlier article.

So you don't have to jump back and forth to the May article to compare numbers, here was the data as of May 20th:

That is a 77% increase in social media followers for the Rays in just seven months. Overall, the Rays are the 19th most-followed team in major league baseball, just behind the Mariners and Athletics, and just ahead of the Rockies and Astros.

Since we focus more on the Rays minor league system, here are how the Rays affiliates are doing:

Hot Rods' fans really prefer Twitter over Facebook, and I agree with them.

For those who like Twitter, Steve Slowinski at DRaysBay put together a great list of people to follow in the Rays Twit-O-Sphere last week. If you follow everyone on his list you should be covered at both the major and minor league level. If you know of others worth following, post them in the comments.

[Update]: I looked at the wrong Facebook site for the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The correct info is now in the chart and my comment redacted. I was looking at this site, the correct site for the Hot Rods is here.

John Sickels has posted his preliminary Top 20 Rays prospects list. Follow the link for his comments on each player and, in case you missed it, for more of John's thoughts on the Rays system see his interview with us from earlier this month.

Rather than just re-print John's list, lets compare his choices with our personal lists, which are summarized here.

Note: Our lists were written back in November, well before the Jason Bartlett trade, so we did not consider any of the players acquired from San Diego. We also did not include Leslie Anderson due to age.

Hayes, 22, was drafted in the 8th round of the 2006 draft. Last season he pitched primarily for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, putting up a 3.53 ERA over 43.1 innings. In his 5-year career with the Rays organization he had a 4.03 ERA in 295 innings.

Oliveros, 25, struggled to a 6.10 ERA between Charlotte and Montgomery last season.

Fields, 25, was our 44th round pick in the 2004 draft. Last season, primarily with Montgomery, he hit only .219, but did knock out 15 homers in 347 ABs.

Wiegand, 23, was drafted in the 25th round of the 2009 draft. As Bowling Green's primary firstbaseman last season he put up a .250/.339/.374 line.

Folli, 25, hit .174/.269/.246 for Montgomery after coming over from the Cardinals in an August trade.

Contreras, 23, put up a .250/.311/.415 line in 200 ABs for the Princeton Rays in 2010.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Perez is on this list for the complete opposite reasons of Stephen Vogt. Almost a decade younger, Perez is, at this point, all pedigree and ceiling. The Rays signed him for $1 million out of Venezuela in 2009, their first ever seven-figure bonus handed out to an international amateur. The early buzz on him was that his calling card was big-time power from the right side.

That wasn't immediately on display in 2010. Rather than have him play in the Venezuelan or Dominican Summer League, the Rays brought him state-side and assigned him to the Gulf Coast League, where even among high school draft picks, he was young at 17 years old. Regardless, any way you slice it, a .484 OPS is way lower than you'd want to see from a bonus baby.

Here are the positives to draw from his debut season: First, the GCL is an extreme pitchers' league, so a .484 OPS is only "really bad" as opposed to "ridiculously bad." Secondly, his 17 walks and 33 strikeouts in 44 games tells me that he's not overmatched. He hit only .174 and for little power, and 33 strikeouts isn't nothing, but it's not like pitchers were regularly blowing it past him. And the healthy walk total is nice to see, especially from a 17-year-old, especially when he's from an area known for producing a lot of free swingers.

Perez gets a pass for in 2010 stats based on his age and his considerable ceiling. He's not going to rocket through the system, and he'll likely be back in the GCL (perhaps Princeton) in 2010, where I'd expect performance more in line with the tools and ceiling.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Under normal circumstances, no matter how much they raked, guys who played the season as 25-year-olds in High-A don't make top prospect lists. Especially not when they hadn't hit for an OPS over .800 at any previous level. Especially not when they're 12th rounders from an NAIA school.

But we're making an exception for Stephen Vogt, primarily because he's a catcher. Players at that position tend to develop more slowly, and frankly, catchers don't need plus tools across the board to make the majors. If Vogt played just about any other position (except perhaps if he were a shortstop or centerfielder with truly elite defensive skills), I don't think he'd even be in the conversation for this list, even with the 2010 season he had.

And he had quite a season. He led the Florida League in batting average (.345) and OPS (.910). He isn't a guy that draws a lot of walks, only 31 in 106 games, but he only struck out 46 times. He doesn't have plus power, only hitting for 8 home runs, but he maintained a healthy slugging percentage thanks to 31 doubles. He's by no means a burner, but he's capable of stealing a base if the situation is right. He's stolen 15 bases and been caught only 4 times in his career.

There are two obvious hold-ups with Vogt's prospect status. First, he was 25 in the Florida State League, and even considering that 2009 was essentially a wash for him with only 10 games played, he was theoretically more advanced than the pitching he faced. As I said, catchers take more time to develop, but the other hold-up is that I'm not sure if he's a catcher. He caught only 27 games in 2010, spending the rest of his time at first base, in left field, or as the designated hitter. He threw out 31% of basestealers, but that doesn't paint nearly the whole picture of a catcher's defense.

The Rays current catcher, John Jaso, isn't so dissimilar to Vogt. Jaso battled questions about his defensive ability throughout the minors, and still battles them in St. Pete, and was never really truly given credit as a top prospect (we had him at... you guessed it, #14 on this list last season, a clear miss given his success in the majors). Jaso had a much longer track record of hitting, posting OPSes over .800 for a 5-year stretch (and he was generally age-appropriate for his level), while Vogt raked with NAIA Azusa Pacific, then posted pedestrian numbers in Hudson Valley and Columbus before breaking out with Charlotte (and while it's hardly against elite competition, he absolutely crushed it in the Colombian Winter League).

Double-A is going to be a huge test for Vogt in 2011. He has to prove he can hit at the higher levels while also proving he can provide acceptable defense behind the plate day in and day out. His bat seems decent for a catcher, but would play below-average at a corner spot (in addition to his defense also being average at best there). Jaso was able to prove that, starting 98 games behind the dish while hitting enough to earn a promotion to Durham during the 2008 season. Vogt will need a similar year to stay on the radar.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

After leading the Princeton offense in his debut year in 2009, Rogers looked like he might be poised for a break-out year in full-season ball. But injuries limited him to just 43 games, and his results didn't live up to expectations. He hit just .196, though avoided a truly awful batting line thanks to his power and patience.

Ranked #12 on our list last season, I noted his .303 batting average was buoyed by a sky-high .386 BABIP. His 2010 stats with Bowling Green (keep in mind, he played just 34 games with the Hot Rods, his other 9 were spent rehabbing in the GCL) aren't that much different from his 2009 Princeton stats, aside from the BABIP plummeting down to .215. His BB% increased from 9.1% to 10.6% which is pretty good. What isn't pretty good is his strikeout rate, which also rose, from 27.3% to 28.3%.

Rogers went on a home run binge as soon as he arrived with Bowling Green, parking 7 in his first 20 games. He experienced a major power outage in his final 14 games, failing to hit for an extra-base hit. He has a bit of an all-or-nothing swing, leading to high strikeout totals and stretches like his last 14 games where he hit .077/.238/.077. He remained a solid basestealer, swiping 8 bags in 10 chances.

His raw tools make him intriguing, but he has a lot of work to do, starting with getting a full season in. He has plus speed and above-average power, but a lot of swing-and-miss in him. His solid pitch recognition and patience helps to off-set that a little bit, but he doesn't project as a high-average hitter and as a result his OBP could suffer, as it did in 2010. He has star potential with his tools, but at age 22, he'll need to start putting them together. The Rays could send him back to Bowling Green, where he'd be the primary centerfielder. If they give him a promotion to Charlotte, he'll probably have to slide to a corner spot so Ty Morrison can man center. He has the range to play anywhere in the outfield, but his arm is fringe-average.

Aside from the obvious reasons for wanting to see Rogers stay healthy in 2011, a full season's worth of hitting data would be nice, since both his 2009 and 2010 season lines were greatly affected by his BABIP. I'd also like to see what sort of extra-base hit totals he posts, as 2 doubles, 2 triples, and 7 home runs screams fluke.

Press release and photo provided by Jim Holland, General Manager of the Princeton Rays.

The Princeton Rays announced on December 14 that Michael Johns will return for a second consecutive season in 2011 as manager of the team and will lead a coaching staff of familiar faces this coming summer. Joining Johns in returning to Princeton this coming summer will be pitching coach Marty DeMerritt and hitting coach Wuarnner Rincones.

"It's most always a plus when anyone on your coaching staff returns because it breeds familiarity with the local fans. In our case, it's a real bonus since all three of these fellows have enjoyed success previously in Princeton and we are getting them all back," commented P-Rays' General Manager Jim Holland in making the announcement.

Johns will be entering his fourth year in the Tampa Bay Rays organization and his second as manager at Princeton where, in his pro managerial debut last year, he piloted the P-Rays to a 33-35 record. He had the team in contention for a 2010 Appalachian League playoff spot until the last few days of the season. Prior to arriving in Princeton last summer, he had spent the previous two seasons as the hitting coach of Tampa Bays' short-A affiliate, the Hudson Valley (NY) Renegades. His other coaching experience includes being head coach at Orange Park (FL) High School from 2004-2007 and the four years prior to that as an assistant coach at Fernandina Beach (FL) High School. As a professional player, he was selected in the 19th round of the 1997 amateur baseball draft by the Colorado Rockies. His pro playing career spanned two years (1997-1998) as a middle infielder for the Rockies' class-A affiliate teams in Portland (OR) and Asheville (TN). Johns, currently a resident of Orange Park, FL, is a graduate of Tulane University, where he was a two-time Conference USA all-conference shortstop for the Green Wave.

"MJ (Johns) really came in and did a great job for us last season. He's efficient and organized as well as being great to work with in terms of the things I have to get accomplished as a general manager. We enthusiastically look forward to having him back with us in 2011," said Holland.

DeMerritt will be back for a fifth straight summer in 2011 at Princeton and continues to add to an impressive list of credentials that has spanned his 35-year career in professional baseball. He guided his 2010 P-Rays' mound staff to an outstanding overall 3.23 earned run average, which included pitchers Enny Romero (1.95) and Braulio Lara (2.18) finishing in the top two spots in the Appalachian League in this category. During his past four years in Princeton, many of the top pitchers now in the TB farm system have been under his instruction at some point. 2011 will mark DeMerritt's 11th year in the TB organization and his years prior to Princeton in the Rays' system were spent at Bakersfield (2001-2003), Charleston SC (2004) and Visalia (2005-2006). He has served four years as a major league pitching coach for the Giants (1987, 1989, and 1991) and the Cubs (1999) and guided his 1989 Giants staff to the World Series that year. He spent five years in the Cubs organization as a minor league pitching instructor before his 1999 promotion to the big league staff. His coaching career also included stops in the Florida Marlins' farm system (1992-1994), Samsung Korea (1990) while the beginning of coaching duties began in 1983 for the Giants' affiliate at Clinton (IA). DeMerritt, who resides in Venezuela in the offseason, was originally selected as a player by the St. Louis Cardinals in the June, 1971 baseball amateur draft and pitched eight seasons in the minor leagues with the Cardinals, Brewers, and Astros.

"Marty's prior Princeton staffs have turned out great statistics, not only last year but any other previous year he has been here. If the numbers could be combined for the past four years, a strong case could be made that Princeton has had the best overall pitching in the Appalachian League over the past four seasons," said Holland.

This coming season will mark Rincones' second as a coach in the United States, both of which will be based in Princeton. The tutoring of a young bunch of hitters in 2010 began paying dividends at the plate for the P-Rays late in the season. However, Rincones was not there to enjoy it as he was injured by a batted ball to his eye in late July and was forced to leave the team for the balance of the season. In 2009, he was the manager for the Rays' entry in the Venzuelan Summer League and guided them to the VSL title. The period of 1996-2008 also saw him work in various capacities of baseball instruction throughout his native Venezuela. He played five years (1991-1995) professionally as an outfielder in the Chicago White Sox system, reaching as high as class-A South Bend of the Midwest League in 1995.

"Wuarnner played in this league in the mid-90's with the Bristol White Sox, so he too was a great addition here last year. He is a tremendous person who radiates a quiet confidence that works well with our young hitters," said Holland.

A trainer and clubhouse manager for the 2011 P-Rays have yet to be named and will be announced at a future date.

The Princeton Rays are accepting orders for both season-long box seats and general admission ticket books for the 2011 Appalachian League season. Persons needing more information are encouraged to contact the team's front office either by e-mail at princetonrays@frontier.com or by telephone at (304) 487-2000.

MONTGOMERY, AL – The Biscuits are proud to announce that Billy Gardner, Jr. will return in 2011 for his fifth season at the helm of the Montgomery Biscuits. Gardner continues to add to his already record tenure as Biscuits manager. He passed longtime Biscuits manager, and current Durham Bulls skipper, Charlie Montoyo last season as the most tenured manager in Biscuits history.

Gardner led the Biscuits to an overall mark of 72-66 in 2010, surpassing 2009’s overall record of 65-74. Fellow returning coaches, Ozzie Timmons and Bill Moloney, will join Gardner in their respective capacities . Timmons will enter his third year as hitting coach for the Biscuits. Bill Moloney will return for his second season as the Biscuits’ pitching coach.

2011 will mark Gardner’s eighteenth season in professional baseball, and sixteenth as a minor league coach. Gardner, a native of Connecticut, boasts a career mark of 1052-1043, and a 287-269 record as manager of the Biscuits. In his debut season in Montgomery (2007) Gardner led the Biscuits to a Southern League best 81-59 record, and the Biscuits second consecutive Southern League Championship. He received Southern League Manager of the Year honors following the 2007 season. Gardner has managed 21 Biscuits who eventually made their way to the major leagues, including Evan Longoria, David Price, and Desmond Jennings.

Timmons, 40, a native of Tampa, FL and former Rays outfielder, returns to the Biscuits for a third season, and fourth overall within the Rays organization. Timmons joined the Biscuits in 2009, after previously serving as hitting coach for the Hudson Valley Renegades (New York-Penn, 2007) and Columbus Catfish (South Atlantic League, 2006).

Timmons is a 20-year veteran of professional baseball, including sixteen as a player. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round of the 1991 June draft, he spent 16 seasons with the Cubs, Reds, Mariners, Rays, Braves, Diamondbacks, and Mets organizations, as well as the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Baseball League, the Mexican League and Atlantic City, of the independent Atlantic League. As a major league outfielder, Timmons posted career numbers of .235 with 20 doubles and 20 home runs in 186 games played.

Moloney, 44, enters his fifth season as a pitching coach in the Rays’ organization, and second with the Biscuits. He spent time previously with the Charlotte Stone Crabs (Florida State League, 2009) and the Columbus Catfish (South Atlantic League, 2007-8). His 25-year coaching career includes stops with the Cincinnati Reds (2001-2006) and Boston Red Sox (1995-2000). In 2002, while at Class-A Stockton, Moloney’s pitching staff led the California League with 3.20 ERA and 12 shutouts.

Moloney spent six seasons as a pitcher in the Red Sox minor league system from 1979-1984, and reached as high as Triple-A Pawtucket before suffering a significant finger injury, which ended his playing career. While playing baseball for Lowell High School in Massachusetts, Moloney posted a 1.00 ERA his senior year, which led the nation. Following his playing career, Moloney spent the subsequent eleven years as the batting practice pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. He made his coaching debut in 1995 with Class-A Michigan.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Charlotte Stone Crabs will defend their second consecutive FSL South division title with some familiar faces in the dugout: manager Jim Morrison and hitting coach Joe Szekely will return with Steve Watson joining them as pitching coach for the upcoming 2011 season.

Morrison, 58, returns for his third year as manager of the Stone Crabs and fourth consecutive year as the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays High-A affiliate after managing the Vero Beach Devil Rays in 2008. He led the Stone Crabs to a 1st half division title and an 80-59 overall record last year, while guiding the club to a second straight trip to the FSL Championship Series.

The former Major League infielder enters his 27th season in professional baseball and fifth season in the Rays’ organization. Before reaching the High-A level, Morrison managed the Low-A Columbus Catfish to a South Atlantic League title in 2007, and he also served stints as a roving infield instructor, coach and manager in the Philadelphia Phillies organization for seven years from 2000-06.

Before entering the coaching ranks in 2000, Morrison enjoyed a 15-year playing career as an infielder, including 12 major league seasons with the Phillies, White Sox, Pirates, Tigers and Braves before retiring in 1988. In 1,089 career games, he batted .260 with 112 home runs and 371 RBIs. He currently resides in Bradenton, Fla.

Steve Watson joins the Stone Crabs as the only newcomer on the 2011 coaching staff after serving three seasons in the Florida Marlins organization. Watson, a graduate of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, served as the pitching coach for the Jupiter Hammerheads (A) last season and previously coached in the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds organizations.

Szekely, 49, also returns for a third season with the Stone Crabs after serving in the same capacity last year. He enters his seventh season in the Rays’ organization with four years spent as a manager in Princeton, Vero Beach, Visalia and Southwestern Michigan. Under his tutelage, Stone Crabs hitters compiled a .259 batting average with 503 runs scored during the 2010 season. Szekely spent six seasons with the Kansas City Royals organization before joining the Rays in 2005. Before coaching, he played 11 Minor League seasons with four different organizations.

Bowling Green, KY – In conjunction with their parent club, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Bowling Green Hot Rods announced that Brady Williams will return as the team’s manager for the 2011 season. Williams will be joined by pitching coach RC Lichtenstein and coach Manny Castillo, reuniting the entire field staff from the Hot Rods’ 2010 campaign.

“We are delighted to have Brady, RC, and Manny all back for 2011,” said Hot Rods President Brad Taylor. “They represent everything the Rays stand for in terms of professionalism and dedication to their jobs while also ensuring their players become positive influences in the community.”

Williams’ second season with the Hot Rods will mark his third as a manager in the Rays system. After compiling 38 wins in his debut with Hudson Valley (Short Season A) in 2009, Williams skippered the Hot Rods to 61 more last season, leaving him just one shy of his 100th managerial win. During his first season with the Hot Rods, he pushed the throttle for the team that recorded 249 stolen bases, most among all teams in affiliated baseball.

“I am looking forward to returning to Bowling Green next season,” said Williams. “The Hot Rods have a great staff, a top-notch ballpark, and a supportive fan base for our players and team. I look forward to re-connecting with those fans and trying to bring the Hot Rods their first Midwest League championship.”

The 2011 season will be Williams’ sixth in the Rays coaching ranks, but it will be the first time he spends consecutive seasons in one place. The Florida native began his coaching career in 2006 after playing five seasons of minor league ball with the Rays, Boston Red Sox, and Minnesota Twins. He was originally drafted by Boston in the 45th round of the 1999 draft.

Lichtenstein returns to Bowling Green for his third season in 2011, keeping the distinction as the only pitching coach the Hot Rods have known. In 2010, Lichtenstein mentored several prominent hurlers, including Midwest League All-Stars Alexander Colome and Wilking Rodriguez. In two seasons, the Chicago native has developed four all-stars and a pair of strikeout kings: starter Matt Moore, who led all minor league pitchers in K’s in 2009 and 2010, and right-hander Scott Shuman, the leader among Midwest League relievers with 111 strikeouts in 2010. Lichtenstein is entering his seventh season in the Rays coaching ranks and his fourth working with Williams.

Castillo is back for a second season as coach with the Hot Rods and his third straight season working with Williams. A former Major League infielder, Castillo is the longest tenured member of the Hot Rods staff, entering his 14th season coaching in the Rays system. The bulk of his time with Tampa Bay has been spent in his native Dominican Republic, serving two stints as the manager of the Rays Dominican Summer League team; State-side he has coached at every level between Rookie ball and Class AA. Prior to beginning his coaching career in 1989, Castillo played for twelve years, including three seasons in the big leagues with Kansas City (1980) and Seattle (1982-83).

Durham, NC – The Durham Bulls today announced Charlie Montoyo will return to Durham as manager for his fifth full season, a tenure second to only Bulls all-time winningest manager Bill Evers. Montoyo will be joined by hitting coach Dave Myers who returns for his third season, along with pitching coach Neil Allen, who served in the same capacity for the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A) last season.

Montoyo boasts a 325-249 in four seasons with the Bulls, including four division titles, a Governors’ Cup Championship and National Title. He led the Bulls to a team Triple-A record 88 wins last season while becoming the first Durham skipper at the Triple-A level to win the league’s manager of the year award. The Bulls defeated Louisville in the first round of the Governors’ Cup playoffs last season, but fell to Columbus in the finals.

Myers returns for his third season after presiding over an offense that finished first in runs batted in (699) and runs (757), second in the league with a .277 average and fourth in the league in home runs with 142. The offense also featured the league’s most valuable player in Dan Johnson, who batted .303 with 30 home runs and 95 RBI in four months of action.

Allen comes to the Bulls after spending last season with the Rays’ Florida State League affiliate in Port Charlotte. His pitching staff led the league with a 3.06 ERA, tied for third with 12 shutouts and third with 40 saves. He spent the previous three seasons with the Montgomery Biscuits in the Southern League after spending the previous seven seasons in the New York Yankees organization. Prior to that, he was a coach in the Toronto Blue Jays organization from 1996-1999. An 11th round pick of the New York Mets in 1976, Allen pitched 11 seasons in the major leagues for the NY Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, NY Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians.

It's that time of year once again to start counting down our top 15 hitting prospects. The order has been determined roughly by the way our combined top 30s stacked up, although there have been some (mostly minor) tweaks. As I stress every year, the rankings aren't what's truly important here. Here's the focal point: To learn more about the prospect and stimulate discussion of him. What his ceiling is, when he'll get to the majors, what his tools are, etc. That's more important than just looking at the list and saying, "oh, well you think Luke Bailey is a better prospect than Ryan Brett because you ranked him one spot higher." The actual rankings are more of an outline than anything else.

Before we get to the actual top 15, though, we start with the Honorable Mentions:

Matt Sweeney, 1B/3B: I don't know whether Matt Sweeney or Keith Law had the tougher year here. In his pre-season ranking of the top 100 prospects, Law ranked Sweeney at #68, one spot ahead of Royals 3B Mike Moustakas, who only smashed 36 home runs on his way to a .999 OPS in the Royals system in 2010. While Law was the most optimistic, he was far from Sweeney's only fan. We ranked him #6 on our top 15 hitters list season, noting his potential plus power and relatively solid contact rate for a corner position player. Injuries and defensive questions plagued him, but the bat looked legit and he was a pick to be a breakout candidate and possibly the Rays' starting 1B as soon as 2011.

The breakout never materialized. First, he was somewhat surprisingly assigned to the Florida State League despite previous success in high-A in the Angels system. He got off to a hot start, but had already started to cool off before a promotion to Montgomery totally iced his bat. His batting averaged dipped below .200 with the Biscuits, while he managed only 9 extra-base hits in 46 games. The injury bug bit again, cutting his season short in mid-July. Now in addition to needing to prove he can stay healthy and find a position (he's probably not a 3B long-term), he'll have to show he can hit. Sweeney will get a second tour of duty with the Biscuits in 2011.

Yoel Araujo, OF: Araujo received the largest bonus for an international signee, inking a reported $800,000 contract our of the Dominican Republic in July. Araujo was slated to play in the fall instructional league with an eye toward debuting in the Dominican Summer League in 2011 before coming stateside in 2012. Araujo is athletic and has a chance to stick in center field, though he may ultimately be pushed to left if his arm strength doesn't improve. Araujo has a good plate approach and a nice eye for his age, though his raw mechanics draw mixed reviews. He has a projectable body, and could hit for both average and power down the line. He's as far away as prospects get, but could garner serious consideration for the list with a strong performance overseas (a la Hector Guevara in 2009) or even perhaps an appearance in the Gulf Coast League.

Henry Wrigley, 3B: Okay. I'm going to try to present this as objectively as possible. Here's what Wrigley has going for him: He hit for nice power in 2010, knocking 21 home runs between Charlotte and Montgomery. At 6'3" and 180, he has the type of body to be a power hitter. He's not a plus defender but he's certainly capable at 3B.

And here's what I think he has going against him: He was a 14th round pick. He was 23 years old in the FSL, and his numbers fell off in Montgomery and the Arizona Fall League. His approach isn't terrible but isn't great, and it was exploited in Arizona where he hit .183 with 3 walks and 24 strikeouts. He also doesn't have much of a history of hitting, as 2010 was his first season (out of five) with an OPS over .676. Wrigley's performance in Charlotte was nice, but I'm not sold on him as a legit prospect until he can repeat it.

Leslie Anderson, 1B/OF: I'm listing him here since I don't consider him a prospect (Aki Iwamura was younger when he debuted in 2007 than Anderson is if he debuts in 2011), but he has a very good chance of making an impact at the major-league level, so he deserves some recognition. The Cuban is far from your typical 1st baseman, hitting for only average-at-best power. He makes up for it with plus athleticism for a corner guy (he's able to play an average outfield spot) and a contact-oriented approach. Between three levels in the minors, Anderson put up a .302/.359/.442 line with only 54 strikeouts in 99 games. I don't see him as a long-term answer at 1B, but Anderson could have an opportunity to earn big-league at bats in the Spring.

We're happy to bring you a Q&A with minor league guru John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall. This is the first of several Q&As we'll be bringing you in the off-season, so stay tuned!

RaysProspects: What are your overall impressions of the system, as compared with the rest of baseball or the Rays system of a few years ago?

John Sickels: Although the system has thinned out a little due to graduations, it is still one of the best in the game, with a proven ability to recharge quickly. I love the depth in pitching, and I love the way they develop pitchers; the one-step-at-a-time promotion policy is something I strongly advocate. Many teams get in trouble with rushing players too quickly and I admire Tampa's willingness to avoid that problem. The system is thinner in hitting, although the bats brought in during the 2010 draft will help.

RP: What should we expect from Desmond Jennings, Jeremy Hellickson, and Jake McGee in the majors this year? Who will make the biggest impact in St. Pete in 2011?

JS: Hellickson, assuming he gets a rotation spot. As good as he is, I actually think he's still somewhat underrated by some analysts who focus too much on his size and the fact that he doesn't throw 97 MPH. McGee is ready for a relief role and I think he can be an excellent closer in the long run. Jennings will have a good career but also strikes me as the kind of player who might struggle somewhat initially. He could be rookie of the year but he could also hit .230 and disappoint people. Long-run, though, I love all three of them but expect Hellickson to make the biggest impact.

RP: How convinced are you that Matt Moore's second-half numbers are the "real" him? Is he a top-5 pitching prospect in all of baseball for you?

JS: I think it is real, and yes, he is a Top Five guy.

RP: After Desmond Jennings, who would say is the Rays second best hitting prospect?

JS: Josh Sale.

RP: What are your thoughts on Alex Cobb, who doesn't seem to get mentioned much with the second tier of pitching prospects behind Moore and Hellickson?

JS: I like Cobb, in many systems he’d get a lot more attention. I think he can be a number four/five starter, or perhaps a long relief type. He could also end up as trade bait.

RP: The Rays 2009 draft class (Todd Glaesmann, Luke Bailey, and Jeff Malm in particular) were highly thought-of when they signed, but fizzled in rookie ball in 2010. How much are you worried about their sub-par performance?

JS: They were all bad enough to worry me. We need to see them for another year or two, but I don’t see any real positives in their statistical profiles and scouting reports aren’t much more encouraging. Glaesman has the best tools and probably the best chance to turn into something.

RP: Along those lines, how do you think the Rays have done in the draft the past two seasons without the benefit of the top-5 pick they had been accustomed to?

JS: Well the heavy high school focus in 2009 looks like it might backfire with the top three hitters mentioned above all performing pretty poorly. I am more optimistic about 2010. There are some sleepers from 2009 that bear watching…Alex Koronis, Tyler Bortnick, Brett Nommensen, Scott Shuman.

RP: The obligatory Tim Beckham question: What are your overall thoughts on his performance as a pro so far, and what do you expect from him going forward?

JS: He’s made a little progress but I can’t see any way to spin him overall as anything but a big disappointment. Right now I think they should be happy if he becomes a useful role player, and even that isn’t a guarantee at all.

RP: Which of these righties do you like best and why: Nick Barnese, Joe Cruz, Alex Colome, or Wilking Rodriguez?

JS: Well I like them all, lol. Colome has the highest ceiling but is still rather raw; Barnese and Cruz are more advanced even if they don’t have quite as much long term potential. Overall I’d say Colome for ceiling, with Barnese and Cruz safer bets for success in the short term.

Thanks again to John, and be on the lookout for his Rays Top 20 list, which will be coming shortly!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Here are our top 30s re-printed in one post, followed by a combined list. I simply awarded 30 points for 1st place, 29 for 2nd place, etc. So Jeremy Hellickson, who all three of us had #1, received 30 points three times for a total of 90.

Notes:1. Between, the three of us, 37 total players were ranked. Last season, with an extra ranker (Andy Leslie), 41 total players were ranked.

2. In all, 24 players were ranked in the top 30 by all three of us. 5 players were ranked by two of us, and 8 players were listed on just one ballot.

3. All three of us had 9 of the combined top 10 in our personal top 10 lists. Doug had Drew Vettleson in his top 10, while Jake and I both had Nick Barnese in our top 10s.

4. Of players who were ranked by all three of us, Derek Dietrich had the widest range. He was as high as 16 on Jake's list and as low as 30 on Doug's.

5. The top 10 contains 8 pitchers and 2 hitters. 11-20 has 4 pitchers and 6 hitters. 21-30 features 3 pitchers and 7 hitters. 31-37 has 5 pitchers and 2 hitters. So in total, the top 37 has 20 pitchers and 17 hitters, but the talent up top is clearly in the pitching.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Carl Crawford will be playing his home games in Fenway Park next season, a place he is very familiar with. Other than Tropicana Field, Fenway is where Crawford has played the most games (and AB's and PA's) in his career. How has he done there? Not very well. Here are his career away numbers at each stadium in the American League:

Interestingly, he has had even worse numbers at his other main suitor, the Angels. For comparison, Crawford has hit .304/.345/.459/.804 for a 106 OPS+ in Tropicana Field. At least he didn't sign with the Indians, wow.

Note: The Twins and Yankees have had two stadiums during Crawford's career. For the Twins, they now play at Target Field, and for the Yankees "Stad3" is their current one.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed five players to minor league contracts, each with an invitation to major league spring training: infielders Russ Canzler and J.J. Furmaniak, right-handed pitchers Richard De Los Santos and Cory Wade and left-handed pitcher R.J. Swindle. In addition, the Rays have promoted Mark Vinson to Assistant Athletic Trainer at the major league level.

1-3 review: I could've gone in any order with my Top 3. However, in terms of consistency, Hellickson was 2nd to none. I still have doubts in terms of his long-term ability to stay a starter, but he was vastly better as a starter in his cup of coffee in the majors than I ever expected and looked horrible as a reliever. Desmond is a no-brainer as the team's best positional prospect. I honestly think that he's going to hit the ground running when he's given the job full-time. In his brief stint in the majors, I seen him trip up running to 1st on easy triple and he still made it a stand-up triple. That's speed. Matt Moore almost made it as my #1 prospect, just from glowing reports of him and his utter domination by way of strikeout. Had it not been for his horrible start to the year, I'd have no argument if I had placed him at #3.

4-5 review: I'm going to have questions surrounding my selection of Joseph Cruz as my #4 prospect, but Cruz has gotta be the most underrated prospect in the Rays system. He quietly won 13 games for the Crabs and had a 3.35 K/BB ratio, without being "too old" for his league at 21 yrs old. Josh Sale's placement at #5 is a matter of how good his scouting reports made his potential sound. Kid is huuuuuuuge for a HSer and many believe that his power will carry over from metal to wood bats. He's the 1st ever player to hit for the cycle in an "Area Code" baseball game.

6-10 review: Alex Cobb and Alex Torres are very interchangeable. I think Alex's future profiles better as a starter, while Torres will be a better reliever(in my eyes). Torres may be a good starter, but he may be a Johan Santana-type(ironic, due to the fact that Torres wears Santana's # in honor of him) and his ability to induce ground-balls. Nick Barnese is another quiet prospect in the Rays' system, great peripherals all-around and is still "young". Alex Colome had an interesting 2010 season, especially considering the hype that he went into the season with. Colome didn't do much to drop his stock, but I can totally see the Rays slowly considering a switch to relief in the future. Jake Thompson blew everyone away, one month into his career. He was viewed by many as being a "signability"-guy and his drafting was a matter of the Rays having 3 picks in the 1st round/needing someone who will sign quickly/cheaply. Then, to all of our surprise, he looked absolutely dominant. He must've done something right, seeing as the Rays decided to send him to Port Charlotte at the end of the season. In a non-aggressive system, like the Rays, he's gotta be doing something right to be shot through the rankings.

11-15 review: "King" Rodriguez is a hard-luck prospect. While his W-L and ERA weren't great, he still had a respectable season otherwise. Jake McGee's transition to the relief role and acclimation to the majors is just underway. I almost didn't rank him due to the fact that I didn't consider his 2010 as really a "season" in the minors but more of an prep to what was to come later in the season. Enny Romero is this year's standout from the Rays' latin american signings of year's past. It was just a matter of time before he went state-side and didn't disappoint when he did. Let's see how he does in full-season leagues before giving him the hype that we gave Colome/Rodriguez. Ryan Brett is one of my personal favorites from the Rays' 2010. I think the questions about his size will end because he's going to show surprising power and has done pretty well thus far in his debut. Drew Vettleson's scouting reports make him sound like his ceiling will be definitely lower than Sales' but he may become a more complete package than him.

16-20 Review: Derek Dietrich is another favorite of mine, but I'm gonna need to see how he does in a full-season league before I decide if he's a Top 10 guy. The reviews on Araujo make him sound like he's "raw" but may be an absolute beast if the Rays' scouting department are spot-on like they usually have been with their latin prospects. Hector "Che" Guevara is a favorite of Baseball America's Ben Badler and for good reason, he can hit pretty well and may stick long-term in the middle-infield. Tim Beckham gets dismissed a lot because of who the Rays passed on, when they picked Beckham #1. However, his numbers are slightly above league-averages and he's still young relative to his league. Still iffy on "D" but he's made some strides. Justin O'Connor was our re-do pick for not signing LeVon Washington, but I think considering the Rays' depth at Catcher and "OC" 's potential...this pick may have been better than Washington.

20-30 review: Luke Bailey is a favorite of mine, but I'd like to see more of him. For a guy who's bread-and-butter was his power and arm behind the plate, he needs to have a fantastic 2011 to prove believers that he's the best catching prospect in the system. Jake DePew is a draft pick that many thought wouldn't get signed, too much potential and the belief that the Rays wouldn't spend too much to get him. He's part of the trio of young Rays catchers that the Rays have gotten in the last 2 drafts. Question is, how do you get all three the time and gameplay they need to grow. Jeff Malm was an all-bat, no-glove 1B prospect for the Rays in the '09 draft. I'm hoping he takes it up a step in 2011. Scott Shuman, proof rays know how to find relief prospects, he may be one of the best finds that they've had in awhile. Todd Glaesmann was '09's version of Drew Vettleson. Not as high of a ceiling as the picks before him, but may end up being a more of a complete package OFer. Tyler Bortnick is what I see as a "grinder"-type of player, he's never gonna get the respect that he's deserving of but will never cease to amaze people. Cesar Perez was so advanced for a J2 prospect in the '09 Instructional league that the Rays skipped him from playing in the DSL and started him state-side. Jesse Hahn is the closest thing that the Rays have to being a draft-and-follow. They paid for his potential, just have to wait for his arm to full recovery. I've got a feeling Hahn will end up being a reliever long-term, but who knows. Zach Quate, our next top closing prospect. I see him ending 2011 in Durham and a possible late-season call-up if he is outright impressive. Ty Morrison is a stolen base machine, gets on-base at a decent clip and plays fairly good out in the field.

Honorable Mention: Henry Wrigley, I like the guy but I see him being a Quadruple A guy and never will be more than a late-season cup-of-coffee guy. Ian Kendall, A guy I'm going to keep an eye on next season, but I'm tempering my enthusiasm. Juniel Quarecuto, I'm hoping his bat starts catching up to his glove.